LOAD HANDLING ON CONSTRUCTION SITES: PREVENTION STARTS BEFORE LIFTING

In the world of construction sites, load handling is a daily activity.Lifting a pipe, moving a structural element, handling equipment or positioning a component may seem like a simple, ordinary operation.In reality, behind every lift there is a series of risks that must be assessed before the load is even raised from the ground.And this is precisely where PREVENTION comes in, first and foremost.

THE RISK IS NOT ONLY THE WEIGHT AND/OR THE OBJECT TO BE HANDLED

When we talk about load handling, we often immediately think of the weight of the object, but weight is only one of the elements to consider.
A correct assessment must also take into account:
the shape and dimensions of the load;
the actual weight and position of the centre of gravity;
the gripping and slinging methods;
the type, load capacity and condition of the lifting accessories;
the characteristics of the equipment used;
the configuration of the machine and the operational conditions;
the path the load will follow;
the presence of people in the handling area;
ground conditions and bearing capacity;
the presence of obstacles or interferences;
weather conditions and visibility;
the methods of communication and coordination between operators.
Legislative Decree of 9 April 2008, no. 81, and in particular Title III relating to work equipment and personal protective equipment, imposes specific obligations regarding the selection, use, maintenance, inspection, information, training and instruction of work equipment.
A perfectly known and correctly slung load can still become dangerous if handled in an area that is not adequately organised.
Safety therefore does not concern the load exclusively, but the entire lifting system.

PLANNING COMES BEFORE ACTION

One of the main safety rules on construction sites should be very simple:
plan first, then handle.
Before beginning a lift, it is necessary to know:
What do I need to handle?
How much does it weigh?
Where is the centre of gravity?
How can I sling it?
What equipment should I use?
Are the accessories suitable and inspected?
What is the safest route?
Where will the load be positioned?
Who will coordinate the operation?
Where will the other workers be?
What interferences may be present?
These are apparently straightforward questions, but it is precisely their disregard that can turn an ordinary activity into a serious event.
The planning of lifting operations must be consistent with the risk assessment, with company procedures and with the characteristics of the equipment and the working environment.
The UNI ISO 12480-1:2024 standard, relating to the safe use of cranes, identifies among the fundamental elements of the safe system of work precisely the planning of the activity, the choice of equipment, the execution of the operation and the selection of the people involved, including operators, slingers and signallers.

THE LIFTING PLAN: A CONCRETE PREVENTION TOOL

For more complex handling operations or those with particular constraints, planning must translate into a concrete operational tool: the Lifting Plan.
It is important to clarify that the “Lifting Plan” does not constitute a standardised document imposed indiscriminately by Legislative Decree 81/2008 for every individual handling operation.
Its use must be assessed in relation to the complexity of the operation, company procedures, contractual requirements, operational conditions and the specific risk assessment.
When required or necessary, drawing up the Lifting Plan makes it possible to preventively analyse the methods by which the handling will be carried out and to identify any constraints before work begins.
The plan should make it possible to define, according to the specific operation:
the characteristics and weight of the load;
dimensions and centre of gravity;
the gripping points and methods;
the type and characteristics of the lifting accessories;
the lifting equipment or means to be used;
the capacity and operational conditions of the equipment;
the configuration required for the operation;
the area affected by the lift;
the route of the load;
any obstacles and interferences;
the positioning area;
the delimitation and control of the work area;
ambient and weather conditions;
communication methods between operators;
the roles and responsibilities of the people involved;
any conditions that result in the suspension of the operation.
The Lifting Plan must not be regarded as a simple document to be completed and filed away.
It must be a working tool, known to all those involved and used to concretely organise the operation.
The quality of planning is measured by the ability to transform the information gathered into effective preventive actions.

LIFTING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES

The safety of the operation also depends on the correct choice of equipment.
Legislative Decree 81/2008, Title III, Chapter I, governs the use of work equipment and places on the employer specific obligations relating to the selection of equipment, its suitability, maintenance, inspection and use.
Particular attention must be given to equipment intended for lifting loads.
For lifting machines and accessories placed on the market, the provisions of Legislative Decree of 27 January 2010, no. 17, which transposed Directive 2006/42/EC relating to machinery, also apply. The decree expressly includes within its scope lifting accessories, chains, ropes and belts.
This means that the verification must not stop at the mere presence of the machine on the site, but must include its actual suitability for the intended operation.

LIFTING ACCESSORIES: SMALL ELEMENTS, GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES

Ropes, chains, straps, slings, shackles, hooks and other lifting accessories are fundamental elements for the safety of the operation.
They must be chosen according to the load and used in compliance with their characteristics and the manufacturer’s instructions.
Before use, it is essential to check their state of conservation, paying attention to wear, deformation, cuts, abrasions, corrosion, breakage or other damage, as well as the inspections required by regulations, company procedures and the manufacturer’s indications.
A damaged accessory must not be used.
Among the applicable technical references, depending on the type of accessory, are the standards of the UNI EN 818 series for chains and chain slings, UNI EN 1492 for textile slings and UNI EN 1677 for lifting components and hooks.
The UNI/TR 11705:2018 standard also provides indications relating to inspections, their frequency and personnel requirements for various types of lifting accessories, including wire rope slings, synthetic fibre slings and chain slings, shackles, hooks and lifting rings.
The safety of a lift does not depend solely on the machine used, but on the entire system made up of the machine, accessories, load, operators and working environment.

A SUSPENDED LOAD IS NEVER “UNDER CONTROL”

One of the fundamental principles in lifting operations is to prevent people from being under or in the trajectory of the load.
Even when the slinging appears perfect, it is not possible to completely exclude the possibility of:
disengagement;
failure of an accessory;
load oscillation;
loss of stability;
unexpected movement;
operational error;
interference with structures or other equipment.
For this reason, the area affected by the handling must be adequately organised, signposted and delimited, always taking into account the maximum operating radius of the operation and the possible trajectories of the load.
Distance from the hazard remains one of the best preventive measures.
The objective is not simply to “control” the suspended load, but to prevent any unwanted event from involving people.

COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION

A handling operation can involve several people: crane operator, slinging operative, ground personnel, supervisor and other workers present in the area.
Communication must therefore be clear and organised.
The person directing the operation must be clearly identified and the instructions given to the operator must be unambiguous.
Improvisation and the overlapping of orders can create risk conditions.
The UNI ISO 12480-1:2024 standard also considers the selection and coordination of operators, slingers and signallers as part of the safe system of work for crane operations.
On a construction site, safety often depends on the quality of communication between people.

TRAINING, INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTION

Correct planning must be accompanied by adequately trained, informed and, where required, instructed personnel.
Legislative Decree 81/2008, and in particular articles 36, 37 and 73, governs the obligations relating to the information, training and instruction of workers and the use of work equipment.
For equipment requiring specific qualification, article 73 also refers to the State-Regions Agreement provided for by the regulations.
In this context, particular importance is attached to the new State-Regions Agreement of 17 April 2025 – Rep. Acts no. 59/CSR, published in the Official Gazette no. 119 of 24 May 2025, which defines the minimum duration and content of training courses on health and safety.
Training, however, must not be interpreted as a simple documentary compliance.
A trained person must be capable of recognising the risk, understanding the procedures and adopting safe behaviours during actual activity.

THE ROLE OF HSE

In the construction sector, the role of HSE should not be limited to document verification.
Safety must be observed in the field.
In the case of lifting operations, HSE activity can contribute to correct planning and verification of safety conditions, through the checking of:
the characteristics and conditions of equipment;
the state of lifting accessories;
slinging methods;
correct application of the Lifting Plan;
area delimitation;
the presence of workers in risk zones;
interference management;
compliance with procedures;
operator behaviour;
ground conditions;
weather conditions;
any changes in operational conditions compared to what was planned.
But there is an even more important aspect.
Identifying an unsafe condition should not be considered the endpoint of HSE control.
It should be the starting point for understanding why that condition occurred and how to prevent it from recurring.
Effective prevention does not consist only in correcting the behaviour of the individual worker, but also in identifying any organisational, procedural or training gaps that contributed to the risk situation.

SAFETY IS NOT JUST A PROCEDURE

A procedure can indicate how to correctly carry out a lift.
A Lifting Plan can preventively define the operational methods.
Training can explain how to use equipment.
An inspection can identify unsafe behaviour.
But none of these elements, on its own, is sufficient.
True prevention arises when safety becomes an integral part of the way of working.
When an operator stops because they notice an anomaly.
When a worker reports a risk before it turns into an accident.
When the supervisor intervenes before someone gets hurt.
When HSE is not perceived as an obstacle to production, but as a figure who helps make work safer and more efficient.
Safety must not be seen as something that is “added” to work.
Safety must be the way in which work is designed and carried out.

CONCLUSION

Load handling is one of the many daily activities on a construction site.
It is precisely for this reason that it risks being underestimated.
But behind every lift there are people, equipment, procedures and responsibilities.
The right question should not be:
“Can we lift this load?”
We should ask:
“Can we lift it safely?”
The answer should begin well before the crane is started up or the handling begins: in the planning, in the risk assessment, in the choice of equipment, in the training of personnel and in the correct organisation of the operation.
Because a successful lift is not simply one in which the load reaches its destination.
It is one in which the load reaches its destination and all the workers involved go home healthy, safe and aware that they have worked safely.

NORMATIVE AND TECHNICAL REFERENCES

National regulations
Legislative Decree of 9 April 2008, no. 81 and subsequent amendments – Consolidated Law on Health and Safety at Work
In particular:
Art. 15 – General protection measures;
Art. 17 – Non-delegable obligations of the employer;
Art. 18 – Obligations of the employer and manager;
Art. 19 – Obligations of the supervisor;
Art. 20 – Workers’ obligations;
Art. 26 – Obligations related to subcontracting, work or supply contracts;
Art. 28 – Subject of risk assessment;
Art. 36 – Information to workers;
Art. 37 – Training of workers and their representatives;
Art. 70 – Safety requirements for work equipment;
Art. 71 – Employer’s obligations concerning work equipment;
Art. 72 – Obligations of rental companies and those granting use;
Art. 73 – Information, training and instruction;
Annex V – Safety requirements for work equipment;
Annex VI – Provisions concerning the use of work equipment;
Annex VII – Inspections of work equipment subject to periodic verification.
Particular attention must be given to the provisions of Title III, Chapter I, relating to work equipment and, for lifting apparatus subject to periodic inspection, to art. 71 and Annex VII.
Machinery and lifting accessories
Legislative Decree of 27 January 2010, no. 17 – Transposition of Directive 2006/42/EC relating to machinery.
The decree includes within its scope machinery, interchangeable equipment, safety components, lifting accessories, chains, ropes and belts, and provides for the obligations relating to machinery conformity and CE marking.
Training
State-Regions Agreement of 17 April 2025 – Rep. Acts no. 59/CSR
Agreement aimed at defining the minimum duration and content of training courses on health and safety pursuant to art. 37 of Legislative Decree 81/2008. Published in the Official Gazette no. 119 of 24 May 2025.
Technical reference standards
UNI ISO 12480-1:2024 – Lifting appliances – Safe use of cranes – Part 1: General.
UNI EN 818 – Short link chain for lifting purposes – Safety.
UNI EN 1492 – Textile slings – Safety.
UNI EN 1677 – Components for slings – Safety.
UNI/TR 11705:2018 – Lifting accessories – Indications for inspections, frequency and personnel requirements.
UNI ISO 9927-1:2016 – Cranes – Inspections – Part 1: General.
UNI ISO 4301 – Cranes and lifting appliances – Classification.
The technical standards must be applied according to the specific type of machine, accessory, operation and the manufacturer’s indications.
Note: the regulatory framework must always be verified against the current version of the legislative provisions, company procedures, the client’s requirements and the specific operational conditions of the site.